Stress is a health and safety risk – and it’s the law to act.
As Stress Awareness Week 2025 gets underway, HSE’s Working Minds campaign can help you do so.
We’re reminding employers that work-related stress is a legal health and safety issue under:
- the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
- the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
In 2023/24, 776,000 workers reported suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. This made up nearly half of all self-reported work-related ill health, contributing to 16.4 million working days lost.
What to do this week
Use Stress Awareness Week to take action:
- review your stress risk assessment: make sure it is up to date
- use our Talking Toolkits: start open conversations
- encourage learning: signpost the free Working Minds online learning modules for managers
- look out for early signs like absence, low morale or conflict
- make it routine by treating stress prevention like any other safety issue
Taking simple, reasonable steps can help you stay compliant and build a healthier, more resilient workforce. Mental health is a health and safety issue – and must be treated as such.
